The Life and Times of Sally Jackson
by missleopard
Summary: This is the story of what really happened between Sally and Poseidon. Welcome to the life and times of Sally Jackson. Don't say I didn't warn you.
1. Chapter 1

**a/n: Hey so this is the first chapter of 7 that I have written so far (although I have a few more up my sleeve.) I hope perhaps this will draw you guys in! I tried to go by what the Percy Jackson books said very closely so that I could give you the most accurate telling of Sally and Poseidon's story. So here it is! Enjoy :)**

* * *

**JULY 1992**

I remember the first day I saw him. It was a Thursday, partly cloudy. It began just like any other day.

Except it wasn't.

If I knew what I was in for that day, maybe I would've called in sick, or maybe I would have let my other co-worker take care of the customer while I cooked. I don't know, but that Thursday changed my life forever. Right now, I don't know if it was for better or for worse, all I know is that next to me on my desk is a pregnancy test. That test has a tiny pink plus sign visible on the screen.

So what now?

I'll tell you what. I'm going to write our story so that everyone knows what really happened. I have a feeling that the child growing inside of me... he's going to be a very powerful child. This child is going to change the world one day. And one day, people are going to ask what really happened between me and the god of the sea.

So here it is, whether you choose to believe me or not.

* * *

I woke up to the sound of my alarm beeping. It was a rainy day in New York, which made me feel even lazier. I stretched and jumped out of bed; I had to get ready for work.

You see I worked at a small pretzel joint called New York Pretzels. We sold the yummiest pretzels you could buy in all of New York, and I absolutely loved working there. Ever since my uncle died, I had been working there full time, earning money to share an apartment with an old lady who thought she was 17. My life wasn't the typical fabulous life you would expect, in fact, it was very hard for me.

My parents died when I was five years old, so my uncle took me under his wing. The only thing was that he didn't really care for me, but he was the only family I had. Literally. My parents died when I was five years old, I had no siblings, and I don't know what happened to my grandparents. I was all alone in the world except for my uncle, and he had problems of his own so I moved in with him so that I could take care of him and he could take care of me the best he could. He never showed me much affection; in fact nobody really did, so I didn't really know how to love by this point in my life. What was love anyway?

Anyways, my uncle developed cancer, and I took care of him. I dropped out of high school, worked several odd jobs, and it definitely was not enough money to pay for a place to live and his medical bills, so he moved into the hospital, and I slept on the uncomfortable chair in his room. That was where I lived for a short while. Then when my uncle died, I began taking night school to get my high school diploma, and working full time at the pretzel place. It was alot to handle, but I made ends meet even if I only got five hours of sleep a night. I was used to hardship, after all.

I slipped on my work uniform: a shirt, jeans, apron, and cap. I stuffed a thick history book into my purse, and quickly left my room where I saw the old lady I share an apartment in the Bronx with- a grandma named Aida. Oh, she was a nice lady. We met at the hospital where my uncle was. When she left and my uncle died, she offered to split the rent and share a ratty old apartment. It was cheap, and I could afford it so Aida was my roomie and pretty much my only friend.

It was a regular day at the shop: I worked the cashier with a girl named Rosa while two other Spanish girls cooked the pretzels. During the times when we had no customers, the cooks would teach me Spanish or I would pull out a book and read, read, read. Aside from my night classes that was the way I learned and became cultured: I read like you wouldn't believe.

Today, I sat on my stool reading about ancient Greece when a tall, handsome guy walked in. Now, I've seen lots and lots of good looking men around New York, but this one... this one was one of those faces you never forget. Even my other colleagues stopped what they were doing and stared at him.

He wore bermuda shorts with a white tank top, and he had a really deep tan so it looked like he just came back from a resort in Mexico or something. Oh, and his eyes, how could I forget... they were the color of the sea, and I know it sounds cheesy, but they were as deep as the sea too. It seemed like everything he looked at he _really_ looked at and paid close attention to; thats why when he looked at me and smiled, I blushed from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. I tried my very best not to gawk, but it didn't work out so well.

"Ah, hello." He said.

I cleared my throat, yet still a squeak came out. "Hi."

"What do you think is the best thing on the menu?" The beautiful stranger asked.

"Um. Well..." I said, and when I glanced over my shoulder I found that the three other girls working with me were huddled together staring. "I think everything on the menu is delicious."

"I see. Well then, what is _your_ favorite pretzel?" He asked.

I smiled as I took in the scent of my favorite pretzel, yet along with it was something else. The smell of...sea breeze? I blurted out, "Did you just come from the beach?"

He chuckled. "Yes, I was just at Montauk. It's a lovely beach."

I began to blush even harder, and my voice did that squeaky thing again. "I love that beach too, I'm heading there tomorrow!"

His eyes twinkled. "I'll be there tomorrow as well. Maybe I'll see you there." He smiled, and then glanced up at the menu. "I'll just take the peperroni pretzel, please."

I handed him the pretzel, and after he paid, he smiled and said, "Thank you ladies." And just like that he left, leaving the smell of sea breeze!

There was something very different about him, though. I looked over at what he left in our tip jar and instead of picking up a dollar or something, I picked up a golden coin with strange Greek drawings on either sides. I scowled. I wasn't sure if you could change an ancient currency into American dollars.


	2. Chapter 2

**a/n: So this is chapter two! Before you read it, I want you guys to keep something in mind: on Rick Riordan's website there's this page called Ask the gods where Poseidon revealed a little bit about how he met Sally. I used that to write my story so that I could make my story as accurate as possible! Remember _Rick Riordan_ himself said it went a little bit like this. Either way, I own nothing, and I was copying no one.**

* * *

The next day, I packed a bag with clothes, packed another bag with books and headed to Montauk, the greatest place in the whole world. I've been going there ever since I can remember. I used to go with my parents, and even my uncle used to take me when he and I could go on vacation. It was my favorite place in the world to be.  
I could escape everything there, and pretend the world didn't exist.

When I arrived at the cabin I usually rented out, I cleaned out the sand from the sheets, and the spiders from the cabinets in an attempt to tidy the place. Then, I took my beach chair, books, and was out the door.

The water at Montauk was always much too cold to go into, so it was the perfect place to read and even to write. I enjoy writing as much as I enjoy reading, and I've written everything multiple short stories. I know you're wondering how a high school drop out could write a decent sentence, let alone a short story. Well I actually enjoy learning, and I teach myself. I've read countless books, and when I've shared my works with others (which is rarely) people have said that I am one heck of a writer.

Anyways, now i was re-reading my favorite story of all time. _Romeo and Juliet_. I don't know what it is about that story, but I just love it. Maybe its because the two main characters are destined for doom from the very start, yet you still hope things turn out different at the end. You know what's going to happen at the end, yet whenever I read it, I can't help but hope things will turn out okay for the star crossed lovers.

I began reading, and when I looked up for the shortest instant, I saw the most shocking thing. In fact, I don't even think you'll believe me. I saw a mermaid jump out of the water and dive back in, like a dolphin might do.

"No...way." I said to myself, rubbing my eyes as if maybe sand had gotten in them or something. Before I could recover, I saw a huge, long tail pop out of the water and then retreat back in. I sat there, staring as I saw two or three other mermaids jump into the air and swim away.

All I could do was simply sit there and gawk. I turned to the nearest person to me and said, "Did you see that?"

The person looked at me, irritated. "See what?"

"Those...those..." I stammered, unable to get the word "mermaid" out.

"Fish?" My neighbor finished for me. He looked over just in time for yet another mermaid to jump out of the water and I yelped.

"You ain't ever seen a fish before, lady?" The irritated man said to me.

"_Fish_?" I exclaimed. I was absolutely certain I saw mermaids. And mermen.

He rolled his eyes and began grumbling to himself as he picked up his things and walked off. Well excuse me for seeing merpeople.

I continued to watch the ocean, waiting for some other mythological creature to emerge from the water. Nothing else happened for the rest of the day, except for one other thing. Do you remember the super hot guy who came in to buy a pretzel yesterday? I saw him strolling down the beach in nothing but his swimsuit.

My jaw dropped as I saw all his muscles defined. Was it possible for someone to be so good looking? When girls saw him they stopped and talked to him, although he didn't seem very interested. He just smiled at them and continued his stroll. For one brief second, his eyes met mine, and his expression brightened. I bit my lip, and looked away embarassed. Without looking back at the stranger, I picked up all my things and left the beach, too embarassed to stick around and see if he would talk to me.

* * *

The next day, I woke up to the smell of the ocean. I looked at the clock next to me and found that it was about 1:00 p.m. I had stayed up all night watching movies. And after what happened at the beach yesterday, I decided I had to watch _The Little Mermaid_. I was sure I didn't make up what I saw yesterday.

I summoned all my courage and made my way out to the beach again. What if I saw more mermaids? Or worse, what if I saw..._him_? I shuddered. Just thinking about this stranger made my legs turn into jelly. I couldn't tell you why he had this effect on me. I didn't even know his name!

Maybe I should have skipped going to the beach that day. Maybe I should have stayed in my cabin watching movies, because the second I planted my scrawny butt on my stupid beach chair, I saw him again.

This time he was even more scrumptious.

He was _wet_.

The waves were going crazy today, and the sun was blazing. The way he walked out of the water... it was like something in a movie. Every girl nearby stopped and stared at him. He was practically glowing, he was so handsome. Oh, and those muscles... don't even get me started on those muscles...

I quickly wiped away some drool from the corner of my mouth before he looked this way.

I began reading my book, or at least pretending to read my book so that I wouldn't look like one of those desperate women trying to impress him.

However, when I looked up again, he was strolling along the shore (AGAIN. Man, this guy liked to stroll) with the strangest object in his hand. How did no one notice it? Tell me!

In his hand, I saw a big, bronze trident that was practically dripping with energy. How did touching that thing not electrocute him? I began staring at him again, with my eyes narrowed. These occurances were really weird, and it all seemed to point back to him. Everyone that walked by merely said, "Cool surfboard, bro!"  
Surfboard? That was definitely a trident. I saw it on _The Little Mermaid_ just last night!

I stood up and stomped my foot. I was done with this nonsense. I marched up to him furiously, and he looked taken aback. I looked straight at him and said, "You're carrying a trident."

I saw the cool expression he always wore melt from his face. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. That, sir...is a trident."

"I'm afraid you are mistaken." He stepped around me and continued to walk, at a much faster pace this time. I followed him, except I had to practically run in order to keep up.

"Listen, bub." I said, stepping in front of him, and poking him in the chest. "I'm not crazy. The other day, you left me a tip of some sort of...ancient coin, then I saw mermaids, and now you're carrying a trident and nobody has noticed anything!" I crossed my arms. I had never really blown up at anybody that way, much less a stranger. Then I started to feel guilty. "Look, I'm sorry. But I'm very sure _that_ is a trident."

During my monolauge, his face went through different emotions: shock, anger, and now he just had a crooked smile on his face. He snapped his fingers and said, "This is just one big misunderstanding. This is a surfboard."

I scrunched my eyebrows together, utterly confused. "Are you trying to hypnotize me or something?"

"Is it working?" He asked. Then I took a really good look at him. He was just so handsome, he didn't seem real. And that trident he had in his hands. Just looking at it I knew it wasn't something you could just purchase at Best Buy.

"You're not human...are you?" I said dumbly.

He bit his lip. "I suppose there's no point in hiding it from you."

"Hiding what?" I said, intrigued. Now I had to know who this guy was. I hated not knowing things.

"The fact that...I'm not exactly human." He said, and he looked intently into my eyes with those big, green eyes of his. I didn't know what to feel...scared or like this guy was just insane. He certainly didn't look evil. In fact, he looked kind and gentle.

He cleared his throat. "I think we have a lot to talk about."

And with that, he took my hand in his and began leading me to a secluded spot on the beach.


	3. Chapter 3

**a/n: Hey! First of all, thank you for commenting on my last two chapters, I really appreciate it! Please continue to comment and give me your thoughts, it would mean a lot to me! Also, since this chapter is really short I put up chapter 3&4. So please read it, comment on it, and most of all enjoy it! :)**

* * *

The stranger and I sat down on the sand across from each other. He didn't say anything for a while, as though he was searching for words. The wistful expression he usually wore was gone and he looked awfully serious now.

"Okay." He said finally. "I can explain everything to you. But I'm not sure you'll believe me."

"I'd just be happy to have some answers."

He took a deep breath. "Are you familiar with the Greek myths?"

Just the other day I was reading about them! In fact, I was reading a book about them when I first saw him. I nodded slowly, not sure what that had to do with anything.

"Well," he began, and held on to his trident. "What if I told you they were real?"

That really shocked me. How was I supposed to believe that? They were just stories. Yet, when I looked at him, into his eyes, at his trident...I didn't think he was lying.

I didn't say anything for a long time, and I just stared at the ocean behind him. As I looked, I saw two people pop out of the water, except they weren't really people. They looked like they were a part of the water, as if they were water-people. They looked right at me and the stranger, and they pointed and giggled. The stranger turned around and saw what I was looking at.

"Ah, water nymphs. Hello, ladies." He waved at them and smiled. I watched as they bowed and disappeared.

"What..." I said, breathless.

Now he looked breathless. "How can you see that?"

I chuckled. "How can I not?"

"You're not supposed to. No mortal is. Everything from my world...nymphs, mermaids, monsters...you're not supposed to see any of it."

The way he said mortal made me really uncomfortable. Everything he said made me uncomfortable. "So I'm some kind of freak?"

He shook his head and smiled gently. "No, of course not. Some people can see it, although it is a very rare gift."

We were silent for a long time. I ran my fingers through the sand, and he kept his eyes on me the whole time. He didn't even move when girls walked by and said hello to him.

"So... who are you exactly?" I said, but by that point I already knew.

He stood up, trident in hand. He tapped the ground with the end of his trident. As soon as he did that, the earth began to rumble, but it only lasted a few seconds. Then, some dolphins jumped out of the water and seemed to bow their heads towards him a little bit.

He held out his hand. "Poseidon, god of the sea."

I took his hand and shook it, acting as though meeting a Greek god was an everday occurance. "Sally Jackson."

"Sally." He said, and then smiled, still shaking my hand. He pulled me in close and whispered in my ear, "You do realize you can't tell a single soul any of this."

I shuddered, then nodded. "Who would I tell anyways? I don't have any friends or family." I didn't mean to make it sound like a pity party or anything, although that's the way it came out.

He raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean you don't have any friends? You just made a friend of the most powerful guy around here." After he said that, there was a flash of thunder, and Poseidon rolled his eyes. "And that would be my brother, Zeus."

I put my hands on my hips. "So this is really real then."

He laughed. "Yes it really is."

That night, as I sat in my cabin, I tried to remember everything I knew about Poseidon. He was the Earthshaker, Stormbringer, god of the sea.

The only thing I could really concentrate on was whether he was married or not, and I couldn't remember for the life of me.

Everything was just so crazy and strange. It wasn't possible that all the stories were true. And even if they were (which Poseidon confirmed with his mini earthquake), weren't the gods supposed to be really selfish and cruel? Not only that, but weren't they really promiscuous and manipulative? What if he was using me right now?

I sighed, and decided I was reading too much into it. There was absolutely nothing wrong with being friends with him, right? No matter what, I wouldn't let him take advantage of me. He wouldn't just seduce me and then leave, oh no. I would have none of that.

Yet, for once, I didn't feel alone in the world. The rest of the day we were talking and laughing, and I told him everything about me, and he told me about himself (which was very interesting. Did you know Mount Olympus was on the 600th floor of the Empire State Building?). All my life, I've been pretty alone. I can't remember the last time I had a friend, mythological or not. It was nice to finally have met someone who seems as gentle as Poseidon was.

I didn't know it then, but the day I met him my life changed forever.


	4. Chapter 4

**a/n: So this is chapter 4! The next two chapters or so are going to be a little bit fluffy like this, so I hope you guys like it! I hope you guys stay tuned because I have some drama in store for Sally and Poseidon. Please R&R! :D**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

The next day, in the spirit of reading _Romeo and Juliet_, I did a braid that made me look very similar to Juliet, or at least someone in the Renaissance time. I also put on my best bathing suit- a black bikini with a sheer blue cover-up that wrapped around my hips. I looked at myself in the mirror- I looked awfully dressed up just to go to the beach. But this was different! I had a sex- I mean _sea_ god to impress.

I practically ran to the beach, I was so excited to see Poseidon. Sure enough, when I arrived he was sitting on the beach, trident in hand, watching the ocean. I looked around, and there were more people than usual. There were people with their radios on at maximum volume and American flags near their spots. I realized that today was the Fourth of July, and a lot of people would be here celebrating.

I stepped in front of Poseidon and mock curtsied. "Your majesty."

He grinned. "Hey, Sally! Ready for some extreme scuba diving?"

"Sure...?" I said, but he grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the water before I could ask any further.

Before I knew it, we were completely submerged in water, and I realized I shouldn't be able to breathe.

_Wait, Poseidon, how am I breathing? Holy crap, how am I talking_? I heard myself speak underwater.

I saw him laugh and I heard his voice, _Hold on tight!_

I decided to heed his advice and I held his arm firmly. I looked behind me and I saw that in place of his legs, Poseidon had a mermaid tail. As we swam farther from the shore, I saw all types of fish and even a baby shark. When I saw it I panicked, but when Poseidon ordered it not to hurt me, the shark swam away quickly. All the sea creatures whizzed by us, and I realized just how fast we were going.

Finally, when we stopped I saw the most beautiful coral reef that ever existed.

_Oh my gosh! Where did this even come from? There are no coral reefs in New York, are there?_

_Well this is just something that I made_, he explained. _I hid it through the Mist so that no one could see. That way it is my own private reef._

_It's absolutely beautiful_. I breathed, taking in the colorful reef. It was filled with all types of corals, sponges, sea anemones, anything you could imagine. I smiled at him, and he smiled back at me. He really wasn't a bad guy at all.

The rest of the day we spent at sea. We played tag with the fish, played with sea turtles and dolphins, and at sunset, Poseidon dove deep to the ocean floor and brought back an oyster. He opened it up and gave me a beautiful white pearl.

When the sun finally fell, Poseidon summoned (I guess that's the only way to put it) a small fisher's boat, with a basket of food and drinks inside. Poseidon pulled out peanut butter sandwhiches (apparently everyone in his kingdom is crazy about peanut butter), granola bars, and a pack of beer.

I gave him a look. "Beer? Are you trying to seduce me?"

He gave me a playful seductive look. "Is it working?"

I rolled my eyes, and opened the bottle.**_ YES_!** I thought.

There we were, in the middle of the ocean, playing Go Fish, talking and laughing, when we saw fireworks emerging from the shore.

"Oh I almost forgot! Every Fourth of July Montauk has fireworks!" I said, staring up at the sky.

Poseidon and I sat there in silence for the first time that day, watching the sky.

After a few moments, Poseidon asked, "What are you thinking about, Sally?"

I pursed my lips. "Well, I was thinking...With all do respect, I thought the gods were...cruel, conceited. But you're not like that at all."

He didn't say anything for a long time, and for a moment I thought I said the wrong thing. Then he spoke: "I used to think that mortal girls had deteriorated throught the years... But you're not like that, either. You're not like other girls."

I smiled. "Thanks, Poseidon. It's good to have you as a friend."

* * *

The next day, I was sleeping on the beach, while Poseidon took pictures for tourists and occassionaly went in the water to surf. It was a good day: Poseidon and I had gone out for breakfast- my favorite meal. I could eat breakfast food all day, everyday. When Poseidon told me he didn't usually eat breakfast, I was shocked and took him to my favorite diner near the beach. It was funny, eating happy face pancakes and drinking apple juice with the god of the sea. It seemed so normal, and he was anything but that.

"Say cheese!" Poseidon said, as he took a picture of a family of tourists. He handed back the camera then jogged back to where I was.

"Sally, you're going to burn if you stay like that any longer." I heard him say.

I rolled over onto my stomach. "Aren't you supposed to be starting a hurricane somewhere? Go away."

All of a sudden, I felt the ground leave from underneath me. When I opened my eyes, Poseidon had me carried over his shoulder as though I was as a sack of flower.

"Hey!" I protested, flailing my arms.

"This is how us gods punish you mortals." He said wickedly.

"What are you gonna do, turn me into a dolphin?" I taunted him.

Poseidon liesurely stepped onto the small pier, and stood at the very edge. "This is your stop!" He said, and he dropped me into the water.

It turns out Poseidon changed the water to about negative 1,000 degrees because when I fell in, the water was so cold I thought I was going to turn into an ice cube. I popped out of the water, soaking wet and shivering. I probably looked like a wet, angry cat. "_Poseidon_!" I yelled.

He was laughing and walking away, towards our spot on the beach.

I climbed back onto the pier, and ran straight where Poseidon was. When he saw me running towards him, he began running too, but I eventually caught up to him, and I jumped on his back.

"I'm going to make you shark bait!" I said, while he just laughed at my struggles. He ran back to the edge of the pier, and dropped me back into the freezing cold water.

"Yeah, we'll see about that. In the mean time, go make me a pretzel." He said, laughing. Then he jumped in the water, and the water turned into the perfect temperature.

I jumped on his back like a koala bear, and he carried me around the water. We spent the rest of the day like that- playing and lauging. Occassionally a water nymph would pop up and stare at us for a few moments, but Poseidon ordered them to leave. Poseidon made it very clear that no one could know about us, although I wasn't sure why. But when Poseidon picked me up with those strong arms of his... I didn't really care why.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello everybody! I'm putting up chapters 5&6, which will be pretty fluffy again, but whatever. I love fluffy Sally and Poseidon ;) Thank you all for the really nice comments you guys have written, it truly does make my day! I hope you guys will continue to read and review! Please enjoy :)**

* * *

Days turned into weeks, and every one of those days I spent with Poseidon. I even took him to work with me and showed him how to make pretzels. It was interesting, the god of the sea actually helped me make and sell pretzels. He also met Aida, and had dinner with us both. Aida loved him of course- she thought he was perfectly charming. Poor Poseidon, my 71 year old room mate tried to make moves on him, but he was perpetually kind and gentle- he was so kind that it actually shocked me.

With each day, he and I grew closer. Over a short period of time, he became my best friend, although I knew I could never be his. I wasn't entirely sure how long this friendship of ours was going to last- I mean I knew I couldn't keep him forever, but still. The thought of him leaving didn't please me very much. I was just glad he stayed with me after my vacation at Montauk.

Okay, so I know what your thinking. All this time spent with him, you must think we're dating or something. By that point, we honestly weren't. We hadn't even kissed or anything. I didn't have to say it out loud, but Poseidon knew I was only looking for friendship with him. Although I had to admit, I did like him... a lot. But I had to guard my heart. He was the god of the sea, and he was just as tame as the sea (which isn't very tame at all). Greek gods were notorious for sleeping around with mortals then leaving. I didn't want to be one of those one night stands. If I was going to be in his life, I wanted to actually mean something to him. I thought I was actually starting to.

One day, as I was closing up the pretzel place, Poseidon walked in, handsome as ever.

"Hey, hot stuff." I said, then covered my mouth, embarassed. Why did I just say that?

He grinned. "You think I'm hot?"

I blushed. "What I meant was... was that it's hot, er, in here! Oops, I almost forgot to turn off the grill." I said, turning it off.

"Yeah, sure. I know you can't resist all this." He said, flashing me a brilliant smile.

"Uh-huh. Sure." I turned on all the lights at the shop, and Poseidon put his arm around my shoulders (in a _friend_-way) as we walked out the door.

"Okay, so I have some leftover pretzels, our special drink (a mix of blue raspberry slushie and sprite), and I was able to rent a movie to watch tonight! It's one of those old foreign films you hate, but-" I began, but Poseidon cut me off.

"Er, Sally... Maybe we could do something else tonight... I know it's not what we planned but still..." With his free hand he took a sip of our special drink.

"Oh. Okay. What did you have in mind?" I asked.

"Well..." He began, his voice shaky.

"Are you nervous?" I asked, shocked.

"No. Not exactly. You see... one of my er, family members wanted to meet you so I promised we would go on a double date."

"You mean...another Olympian?" I asked, nervous.

"Yes. Would that be alright with you?"

I bit my lip, then shrugged. "Sure. So who exactly..."

I stopped. Leaning on a black, shiny BMW was the most beautiful woman I had seen in my entire life. She was standing there, nearly bursting with excitement, and I it looked like this lady was going to cry with joy.

I looked over and Poseidon rolled his eyes and muttered, "Women."

"That's..." I began, and before I finished, the lady whom I knew to be Aphrodite ran over and gave me a huge bear hug. She smelled like really strong designer perfume.

"It's so nice to finally meet you!" She said, squealing. "Poseidon has told me so much about you!"

"Aphrodite!" Poseidon groaned. I bit my lip, and tried not to blush.

Aphrodite looked like she was about to burst. "Look, how cute! She's blushing! Zachary, come look, they're so in love!"

I looked over her shoulder, and a tall man with black hair came into view.

"Sally, this is Zachary Beauregard. Zachary, this is Sally, Poseidon's girl." Aphrodite said hastily, her eyes never leaving me. "We recently had a beautiful baby girl together! But that's not the point. The point is, I'm so happy Poseidon has finally fallen in love again, he's been so lonely ever since that wretched pact-"

"Aphrodite!" Poseidon said in a strangled voice.

I examined Aphrodite: her hair was curled up, with a flower in it and she wore a dress that strongly resembled Marilyn Monroe's white dress.

"You look beautiful," I began, deciding flattery was the best way to get on her good side. "Are we going somewhere really fancy? I don't think I'm dressed for the occassion."

"Nonsense!" Aphrodite said, pulling me to the car. "I'll have you changed in just a moment. Wait here, boys!" And with that, Aphrodite threw me into the car and gave me a makeover.

* * *

When I stepped out of the car, and Aphrodite squealed, "Ready!" Poseidon's jaw dropped completely. He quickly composed himself, however, and I realized he and Zachary were wearing tuxedos.

"Sally, you look so beautiful-" He began, and Aphrodite coughed. "You both do."

I caught a quick glance at what I looked like- my hair was curled, and I was wearing a red flapper dress with pearls around my neck. I almost didn't recognize my self. I actually did look really beautiful.

"Well then." Aphrodite said, taking Zachary's arm. "Let's go!"

And with that, all four of us walked into a super exclusive club called Gatsby's where only the rich could afford to go. Everyone there looked as though they just came from the 1920s era, and Glenn Miller songs were blaring from the speakers.

"Oh, I love this song!" Aphrodite said, pulling Zachary Beauregard to the dance floor.

Poseidon and I sat at a booth where we saw Aphrodite and Zachary doing impressing dance moves from the 1920s.

"How does she know all those dance moves?" I asked.

"Well, we did live through it." Poseidon said, laughing.

I sat back in my seat, looking straight at him, I said, "So you talk about me."

He took a sip of his drink. "Maybe a tiny bit."

"Only a tiny bit, Stormbringer?"

"That's right, mortal."

I realized our faces were so close, our noses were practically touching. Suddenly, Aphrodite came and pulled us on to the dance floor. We spent the rest of the night dancing in one big group, and I had the time of my life. Poseidon hardly ever took his eyes off me or stopped holding my hand, and Zachary looked just as smitten with Aphrodite.

When the song, "I Know Why and So Do You" came on, Aphrodite and Zachary veered off to one corner, slow dancing, while couples around us began doing the same thing. Aphrodite winked at me, and I knew she had something to do with the romantic song coming on.

"Can I have this dance?" Poseidon asked, extending his hand. He really did look so handsome in that tuxedo.

"Sure." I took his hand, and he led me to the dance floor.

I leaned in close to Poseidon, and I found he smelled like a salty beach and a fresh sea breeze. "Are you enjoying yourself?" He asked.

"Very much." I answered. We were standing so close, it made me nervous. My hands began sweating, but he looked infuriatingly calm and collected. "So... Is she the only one that knows that we're...friends?"

"Yes, she's the only one that knows. She's the only one that saw it on my face."

"Saw what?" I asked, my voice trembling.

I felt his breath against my neck when he chuckled. "That we're..._friends_." He said the word 'friends' as though it was a bad word.

"Right. Just friends." I confirmed, my will weakening.

"Just friends, Sally Jackson?" He asked, looking into my eyes with those sea green eyes of his.

"I get the feeling that's all you can offer me." I said, my voice sadder than I intended.

He pulled me in close to him, and kissed the top of my head. "You're not just another mortal to me, Sally. I know that's what you think. I...I care about you, Sally. But I can't make any promises to you."

A million thoughts raced through my mind. What did he mean anyways? Was it possible that Poseidon might actually be interested in me, or maybe even love me? Even if he did, he said it himself: he wouldn't be here forever. He had duties to fulfull and a domain to keep under control. When he was done with me, he would probably move on to the next woman, and I would be ancient history. Literally. Yet the way he spoke to me, the way he talked to me... he had to care about me at least a little bit. He just had to.

Then, after a long silence, Poseidon finally said, "You truly are a queen among women."

And with that, the song ended, and I reluctantly let go of him. Soon enough, our strange little group was out the door.

Before Aphrodite stepped into her car, she touched my cheek. I saw that she had tears in her eyes once more. "Enjoy him while he's with you. I haven't seen him this happy in a long time. You seem like a lovely lady." Just like that, the godess of love and beauty was gone, leaving behind the scent of designer perfume.

Now it was just me and Poseidon. He went with me back to my apartment, and walked me to my doorstep.

"Well. Thanks for tonight." I said, then turned to open my apartment.

"Wait." He said. "Don't I get a good night kiss? That's what you mortals do, isn't it?"

I laughed. Then I quoted Shakespeare's _Romeo and Juliet_: "Palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss."

He leaned in close to me, and quoted back: "Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?"

I laughed and rolled my eyes. "Nice try. Good night, Romeo."

He smiled at me, although his smile was a little bit sad. "Good night, Sally."


	6. Chapter 6

**Not much to say about this, but I hope you guys stay tuned for more! I have a few things up my sleeve for Sally and Poseidon ;) Please R&R!**

* * *

One night, it was my turn to close up the pretzel place. My co-workers had been long gone, and when I finally turned off all the lights and locked the door, it was around midnight. I gripped the pepper spray in my pocket tightly. I had to take a subway to my apartment in the Bronx. Of course it wasn't the safest idea, but I couldn't exactly afford a cab. So I began my trek to the subway station, passing by stores that were either closed or now closing. There was an eerie feeling outside, and I felt extremely unprotected.

The subway ride went fine, but when I got off, there was a myriad of men standing outside, smoking and drinking alcohol. I walked as fast as I could, and I went unnoticed for a long while until I passed by a tobacco store where three or so men were standing. Two were drinking alcohol, while one was just smoking. I tried to walk away as fast as I could, but one of them called out, "Hey, beautiful! Wanna dance?"

"No thanks." I mumbled, and kept walking.

The creep who called me out was standing in front of me. I looked at his fat face, his bloodshot eyes... he was simply repulsive. "Did you just tell me no?" Now he was uncomfortably close to my face. He started laughing and called his buddies. "Hey guys, maybe we should teach this little lady some manners."

I closed my fingers around my pepper spray, but I was completely frozen with fear. Creep Number One had his hands firmly on my rear, and Creep Number Two was tugging at my shirt. The two of them began dragging me into their tobacco store, and then I began kicking and flailing my arms. I tried to scream, but one of them covered my mouth.

I felt their nasty breath right in my ear. "You're a pretty girl. What are you doing out by yourself this late, huh?"

I finally managed to break one of my arms free and when I punched on of them in the face, his nose started bleeding. I pulled out my pepper spray with my free hand and was able to blind the other one, but that still left me with Creeper Number Three. He didn't make any move to help me, but he didn't make any moves to hurt me either. All he did was smoke his cigar. That little jerk didn't even bother to help me.

The other two men recovered from their blows, and they were on me like a pack of wolves. They pushed me up against a wall, and when I reached for my pepper spray, it was gone. I guess I had dropped it.

One of them took a very dramatic sniff of my hair. "You smell like pretzels. I could just eat you up."

I was sure that the next second, they would have raped me, but then I saw headlights, and an extremely luxurious car pull up to the curb. I knew it was Poseidon because the water from the sewage exploded right under the three creepers and I didn't get a drop on me. Automatically, they let go of me, and Poseidon grabbed them from behind into a chokehold. It was amazing watching one man pulverize three others.

He knocked out two, and then held up another one to the wall. Poseidon had a ravenous look in his eyes. If I were those guys, I would be crying for my mommy...which they were, but still.

Poseidon began choking Creeper Number One. "_You're lucky I don't blast you into tiny bits_." When Poseidon said this, he literally growled. "I would, but I don't want the lady to be any more frightened. But listen to me, and listen to me very closely. Do not ever touch that girl, or any girl for that matter, EVER AGAIN. Or I will come back for you. And I will kill you next time." Poseidon tightened his grip. "I will show you mercy now. But don't test me."

And with that, Poseidon knocked that one out.

He turned around and looked at me, the murderous look leaving his eyes, replaced by a tender expression. He came over to me and held me in a warm embrace. I breathed in his scent of a salty beach, finally feeling at home.

He stroked my hair, and kissed my forhead. "Are you all right, Sally? You're shaking. Did I scare you? I'm so sorry..."

I realized he was right, I was shaking. But I was so happy to be in his arms, I didn't even think about how scared I was. "You saved me."

He let out a shaky sigh. "Of course I did." He bent down and looked at me straight in the eyes. "But don't ever walk home alone at this hour ever again. Next time you are going to work so late, let me know and I'll come take you home."

He wrapped his jacket around my shoulders, and he said, "Come on, let's get you home, sweetheart."

I'm not quite sure how it happened, but eventually Poseidon was carrying me in his arms up the steps to my apartment. I think I must have fallen asleep in the car or something because when I woke up, Poseidon had already made it to my room. I don't know how he got in my apartment without a key, but I guess sranger things have happened.

He opened the door and gently laid me down on my bed. I put my hand on the back of his neck and whimpered, "Please don't go. Please... stay with me."

When I looked at his face, I saw his eyebrows were all scrunched together; he was worried about me. He gently brushed the hair out of my face, and said, "I will. I'm here."

That night, I slept in his arms. I can honestly say I've never slept better in my whole life.

* * *

The next morning, I woke up with my head resting on Poseidon's chest. I realized there was a small pool of drool on his shirt where I had my head.

_Great_, I thought. _I just drooled on the god of the sea_.

For a long time, we just laid there with him stroking my hair. "Good morning, Sally." Poseidon finally said.

"Good morning, Poseidon." I said, careful that he wouldn't get a whiff of my putrid morning breath.

"Did you sleep ok?" He asked.

"Yes..." I began. "Thank you for saving my life."

"Don't mention it." He said, chuckling. Then his voice became very serious. "I was really scared, you know."

"Really?" I asked, looking into his eyes.

"Really. I thought I was going to lose my... best friend."

"Well, thank you. You're my hero." I said, cuddling up next to him again.

"Do I get a reward?" He asked, a smile in his voice.

"Hm..." I said. I finally had him right where I want him. I actually meant something to him. He said he was scared for me last night. He defended me, and then stayed with me the whole night... that had to mean something. Now, I was going to tease him a little bit. "Sure! I'll cook you a breakfast fit for the gods."

I ran to the bathroom, brushed my teeth and ran out to the kitchen.

Poseidon was looking at the magnets on the refrigerator when I came out. When he turned around and saw me, he bit his lip, trying to fight a smile.

"What are you laughing at?" I asked.

"You look like Medusa."

I looked at myself in the mirror. He was right, my hair was sticking out all over the place. I quickly tied my hair into a ponytail and said, "Ha ha, very funny. Behave, or I'll poison your food."

Poseidon raised an eyebrow playfully. "You better watch it, young lady. I'm not sure how many more of your death threats I can handle."

With that, I made a breakfast for a whole army. I made pancakes, french toast, hash browns, bacon, and sausages. Aida was out playing bingo so we had the whole apartment for oursleves. The smell of breakfast filled the air. I had my two favorite things: breakfast and Poseidon.

When I served Poseidon his food, and we both began eating, his eyes widened. "Sally, this is the best breakfast I've had in a few millenea."

"Why thank you!" I said, laughing.

"I should make you the official chef of my palace!" Poseidon said, scarfing down food.

I laughed, and then I began to wonder... "Hey, Poseidon... I know that we have to keep our friendship a secret, especially from your family, and that's totally cool but... why?"

For a moment, I thought I had gone too far. Poseidon's eyes flickered, and I reached for his hand. "Look, you don't have to-"

"No. You should know." Poseidon paused for a long moment. "My brothers Zeus, Hades and I made an oath on the River Styx never to have children with mortals ever again-"

I took a sip of my apple juice, but when he said that, I spit all of it out. Oops.

But who said anything about children? I did not sign up for that.

Poseidon continued, "And even though we are, uh... just friends, it could raise suspicions."

"I see. And what were the resons for this pact?" I asked, nervously.

"Well, you see the children of the Big Three- as we are so often called- are extremely powerful. Their scent is also extremely potent and would attract every monster nearby. Well, perhaps if the child lived with someone who smelled horrible enough to cover their scent, this would not be the case, but I digress. Our children are much too powerful. World War II even started because of our own children."

"You mean..." I began.

"Winston Churchill was my son." Poseidon finished.

"Whoa..."

"Yes. Well, there were several reasons for this pact. We didn't want any more wars or disasters occuring because of our powerful offsprings, and also..." Poseidon stopped. I could see himself fighting an inner battle. "There was a prophecy made, and basically if one of us were to have another child... that child could decide the fate of Olympus."

My mind was already blown by this point. I could tell from the seriousness in his face he was not joking. Not even a little bit. "And if this pact were to be broken?"

"An oath on the River Styx is the most serious oath you can make. Being gods, we wouldn't be directly affected. So, our children would be in for a very, very hard life. They would be cursed."

All I could do was stare at him in shock, as I took in all this new information. Well, now I knew why no one could know about us. And all this being said, there was absolutely no way Poseidon and I could ever be together.

This thought made me really sad. I mean REALLY sad. I couldn't even look at Poseidon, because I would have started crying. I made it very clear I only wanted friendship, but now that there was no possible way for us to be more... well, I could have punched myself. Here was my dream man: tall, handsome, gentle, kind, important.

I finally had one good thing about my life, and I couldn't even keep him forever. I knew from the myths that gods were fickle and impatient; there was no way he would stay with me forever. After years and years of being alone and fending for myself, I find my best friend... only to have him taken away from me.

"It's a good thing we're just friends then." I said.


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm putting up chapter 7&8 just cuz I felt like it :P Thank you guts for all the nice comments you've written, it means so much to me, it really does! I hope you guys keep reading and enjoy it! :D**

* * *

**OCTOBER 1992**

Poseidon and I continued to be inseperable. As we grew closer together, my feelings for him grew stronger (and I think the feelings were mutual.) The thought of him leaving was simply unbearable to me, and it made me wonder... if our time together was so limited, maybe I should make my move. I should enjoy loving him while I had the chance.

On the other hand, I didn't want to do something rash like sleep with Poseidon just so that he would stay with me, you know? I was better than that. So in the end, I decided to hold my ground. Poseidon and I would stay friends, and I would continue to guard my heart.

So on October 31, around 7:00 I put on my Halloween costume. This year I was going dressed as a Greek goddess- it only seemed appropriate.

Okay, allow me to explain. There was this super famous club in New York that held a big Halloween party every year, but the number of people allowed inside was very limited. Poseidon, haveing an abundance of wealth, managed to get us in. Of course he would. All Poseidon had to do was flash one of his dazzling smiles, and he could get anyone to bend to his will.

So there I was, adjusting my make up, when there was a knock on the door. I looked at the clock- Poseidon's timing was impeccable. I took one quick look at myself in the mirror. I thought I looked pretty good. My hair was up in a braid, with gold accents in it. My costume was beautiful- it was white and gold and fell just above my knees.

I walked to the door (very slowly because my high heels were _killing_ me) and opened the door to see Poseidon there, in a Popeye costume.

I laughed and rolled my eyes. "Of course the god of the sea would dress up as a sailor man for Halloween."

"It only seemed appropriate." Poseidon said, flexing his muscles. Now, usually people who wear the Popeye costume need to wear the fake muscles. Poseidon didn't. He already had impressive muscles. I was staring at his muscles when he said, "Of course you would dress up as a Greek goddess."

"It only seemed appropriate." I said, linking arms with him. With that, we were off.

* * *

As soon as we entered the club, a group of slutty girls dressed in sailor outfits approached Poseidon, creating the usual flock of girls around him. He was just too handsome for his own good.

I went to the bar and ordered drinks while he talked to girls and ect. This shouldn't have bothered me. It happened to him all the time, and we came to this party as friends. It really shouldn't have bothered me, and I pretended that it didn't. He was a god after all- horny and unpredictable.

He was gone a long time before he came back. Although when he did come back, he looked thoroughly annoyed.

"I'm sorry about that, Sally, but if I didn't, they wouldn't leave me alone." Poseidon said.

"Hey, that's alright!" I lied. "You're practically a celebrity, right? Besides, it happens all the time."

"Nevertheless, I apologize." He said.

We sat there, ordering food and talking when a man dressed as a pirate walked up next to me. He was not very handsome. Not only that but he smelled like moldy garlic pizza wrapped in gym shorts. I could smell him a mile away.

"_Arghhhhh_!" The pirate said. I backed away in my chair so that I wouldn't smell his fould breath.

"Argh!" I replied, chuckling akwardly.

The stranger started snorting. "So, are you with that guy?" I had a brief flashback of when I was nearly raped and Poseidon saved me, but the look on Poseidon's face brought me back to reality. He looked murderous, but he wouldn't meet my eyes.

"Um..." I began, not sure what to say. It was usually Poseidon that was hit on. It was a very akward position, because we weren't dating, but... "Not exactly."

"Not exactly?" The man smiled. When he smiled, he showed his rotting yellow teeth. "Well, would you mind if I stole you away for a dance?"

I looked back at Poseidon, unsure. "Would you mind?"

He put on a forced smile. "By all means. Er, waiter, may I have another drink?"

The stranger took my hand and led me to the dance floor. We began dancing, and he asked, "What's your name?"

"Sally." I didn't want to give him my last name. He was very creepy.

"Nice to meet ya. I'm Gabe. Gabe Ugliano."

_Ugliano_? What a name...

We akwardly slow danced in silence. Well at least I was silent, he was talking about how much he loved poker and bean dip. He also told me that he was a bar tender here, but tonight was his night off. He was kind of nice, once you got past the smell... and the fact that he kept saying things like"lass" or "matey."

"That's nice!" I said politely. When I looked back to where Poseidon was, I found he was gone.

"My personal favorite is the seven layer dip. It's-"

I came to an abrupt stop. "Look, it was really nice to meet you, and I would love to hear more about your favorite, uh, bean dip, but if you'll excuse me..."

I ran to the bartender and asked him where he had seen my friend go. When the bartender pointed in the direction where Poseidon had gone, I bolted out the exit, hoping he hadn't gotten far.

When I came out, I saw Poseidon walking off. I ran after him as fast as I could in heels.

"Poseidon! Poseidon, wait!" I called.

He just picked up his pace.

Aggitated, I took off my heels, not caring how completely dirty the ground was and that I could possibly get athlete's foot. I ran as fast as I could to catch up with him. The man walked fast for his age!

I held on to his arm. "Poseidon, what happened?"

He still wouldn't look at me. "Sally, what are we doing?"

"We're at a Halloween party!"

"No, that's not what I mean." Now he looked at me. "I mean what are we doing? This thing we have going on..."

"We're friends." I said, knowing that didn't quite cover it.

"Sally, this is not how '_friends'_ act."

I didn't say anything for a long time. I just looked at the ground while he searched my face. "It's not like we can be anything more."

Poseidon groaned, and continued to walk away.

I stomped my foot. Why was he acting like such a girl? "Okay, Poseidon, what do you want me to do? We're not even supposed to be friends, much less anything more! Tell me what you want!"

"Sally, I don't care about that stupid pact. I love you. I love you, don't you see?" He said, grabbing my shoulders. I looked into his eyes. Really looked, and saw that it was plainly written on his face: the god of the sea was in love with me.

"You can't!"

"I'm the god of the sea, I can do anything I want." He said simply.

"But its wrong... the oath..." I stammered, my will weakening once again.

"Tell me you don't love me too, and then I'll leave you alone." He paused, then leaned in close to my ear. He began to quote _Romeo and Juliet_ once more, this time a more modern translation: "Dear saint, let lips do what hands do. Let them also touch. Hands pray and lips pray. So please grant me that. Otherwise you will turn my faith into unhappiness."

I chuckled. I realized why he chose to quote _Romeo and Juliet_. Not only did I love that play, but when you really thought about it, we were much like Romeo and Juliet. We were lovers destined for doom from the very start. I think he might have even known from the very beginning that we were going to end up here.

I decided to give in to him. I quoted back: "Remember that saints do not interfere in the affairs of humans. However, they may be convinced by prayer to grant wishes."

Ever so softly, he whispered, "Then don't move, dear saint, and grant the wishes of my prayer. From my lips to yours, my sin will be washed away."

And then, just like in the play, Poseidon kissed me.

Even now, thinking about that kiss makes me giddy and lightheaded. When he kissed me, it felt like electricity was running through my body, coming down on me in waves. Poseidon was gentle, as always. I took in his smell- now it smelled like home to me.

I also remember that in that moment, everything was right with the world. I feel like fireworks should have gone off or something, because it was that special. I still struggle finding words to explain it... I just know I never wanted it to end.

When we broke free, Poseidon was smiling that dazzling smile of his.

I laughed, and quoted Juliet: "You kiss as if you had studied the art of kissing and know all the rules."

The rest of the events that happened that night... I won't write about. You don't need to know all the details, anyway! All you need to know is, well... I saw the wolf.

* * *

The next morning, I woke up with my head resting on his bare chest.

I grinned, remembering the events of last night. I looked into his eyes again and said, "I could get used to this."

The rest of the morning we laid there, Poseidon telling me stories about heroes, gods, and monsters. After hearing the story of Atalanta, I was extremely depressed.

"Aren't there any heroes that didn't have rotten luck?" I asked.

"Well, there was Perseus..." He began.

"Perseus." I said. "Wasn't he the one that killed Medusa and saved and Andromeda?"

"The mama's boy." Poseidon said, his eyes narrowed.

"If I recall correctly, you played a part in that story." I said, teasing. In the story, he had released a monster to kill Andromeda. "Tell me that story."

Poseidon told me the story of Perseus, and when he finished, I said, "I like Perseus. He seems like a good guy."

Poseidon chuckled. "I suppose he was. He had a good life, despite being a hero. The life of a hero is not an easy one." He kissed the top of my head. "But if you like him, I like him too."

I smiled. "Poseidon, do you regret last night?"

Poseidon began stroking my hair. "I can't say that I do."

My voice was suddenly very small: "Will you stay with me?"

Poseidon let out a heavy sigh. "I'll stay as long as I possibly can. I promise you that."


	8. Chapter 8

**DECEMBER 1992**

The last month or so passed by with the blink of an eye. Poseidon and I fell very much in love- we hardly ever left the bedroom, if you know what I mean. I was always either working or with Poseidon- it was exhausting really. I felt like I was always doing something; maybe that's why I was always so tired. Lately I felt like I had serious jet lag or something because I was always falling asleep. If I slept for twelve hours, I would wake up, have breakfast and go back to sleep.

That was another thing. My appetite had gotten significantly bigger. I was always hungry and tired, but I kept craving two things: salt and seafood. I didn't even like seafood that much, but I wanted seafood so badly that I would get plain cranky. The past few weeks I hadn't eaten anything sweet- all I ate was salty food. If I ate something sweet, I would just throw it up.

I didn't pay these changes much attention. I didn't really have time to because with Christmas nearby, Poseidon said he would take me to Coney Island for a weekend. It sounded like a blast: we would go to an amusement park, walk along the beach, check out the boardwalk... I could hardly contain my excitement for that weekend.

The weekend had finally arrived, and on the car ride there I slept the whole time. It was a bright sunny day even though it was freezing outside. I wore several layers of clothing whereas Poseidon wore a polo shirt and bermuda shorts. I guess weather didn't affect gods like it did mortals.

After leaving all our luggage at our hotel, we headed straight for the amusement park, Astroland. Poseidon had never been, and I was determined to show him every thing. I had been there only a few times, but I loved it. When we got there, I remembered why. It was like walking back in time to the 1960s. It was a space-age theme park, and it was filled with carnival games and rides.

I took Poseidon's hand, feeling like a little girl again. We began playing games like ski ball, those water racing games (_of course_ Poseidon won) and when we went on the bumper cars, I bumped into him so many times he couldn't even move. There was even a mermaid parade, and Poseidon, being the god of the sea felt obliged to stand around and comment on how all those girls dressed as mermaids looked nothing like the actual thing.

We were having a blast, just running around like two crazy kids. You should have seen Poseidon's face when he tried cotton candy; his face lit up like a Christmas tree.

Then, when the sun went down, Poseidon played a carnie game called Dunk the Punk where you throw a baseball at the button, and the person inside fell into the water below. It was quite amusing, really, seeing the punk's face when Poseidon threw a perfect pitch that had him in the water before he could blink once. Poseidon's prize was a large, stuffed Winnie the Pooh toy. I had never seen him look more proud than the moment he handed over the stuffed bear to me.

It was _so_ adorable.

Then, I realized that we hadn't gone on any roller coasters. Before Poseidon could protest, I took his hand and ran towards a ride called the Cyclone, a really famous wooden roller coaster. As we got settled into the ride, I began to get those pre-roller coaster nerves. I gripped Poseidon's hand really hard, and he seemed a little startled.

"Dang, Sally, you have a grip of iron!" He said.

"Really..." I said weakly. What was going on? All of a sudden the world was getting blurry and I began to feel sick. I was feeling perfectly fine just a second before, now I could feel my hands start to sweat. I closed my eyes, hoping it really was just nerves.

"Are you alright?" Poseidon asked.

My eyes popped open. "Uh... yes. Why?" The world was spinning now.

"You don't look well. Maybe we should should come back later-"

But before I could even answer, the ride began.

When did this ride become so fast? I felt like we were moving faster then the speed of light. Also, since it was made of wood, this ride was seriously bumpy.

I started to scream at the top of my lungs. I was sure I was going to either trow up, or pass out, or maybe even both.

"_Poseidon_!" I yelled, gripping his hand harder than ever.

After the ride plummeted downwards, everything went black.

* * *

All of a sudden, I was back in my apartment. I was aware that I was dreaming, but it felt so real. I could even smell the hash browns being cooked in the kitchen. I walked into the kitchen, eager to dig in, but I stopped dead in my tracks.

I automatically recognized who was making the hash browns even though I had never seen her. Poseidon's wife, Amphitrite.

I hadn't really thought about the fact that Poseidon had a wife, to be completely honest with you. He didn't mention her, and I didn't ask.

This lady had a stern expression on her face. It reminded me of the face a lioness might wear before she attacked her prey. As furious as she looked, she was beautiful. She had dark curly hair that reached her hips; she looked like a mermaid you might see in a Disney movie.

"Hello, _Sally Jackson_." She said, venom in her voice. She turned off the stove, and turned towards me. "I just wanted you to know... I am aware that you have been fooling around with _my_ husband."

"Well-" I tried, but she just interrupted me. She got all up in my face now, which was totally uncool. She had a wild look in her eyes-she looked so insane I almost felt bad for her.

"I've wanted to kill you since the first day you laid eyes on him."

"Look, I didn't mean any harm-"

She threw her head back and laughed. "Let me guess. You didn't even think that he might have a wife? You didn't think the god of the sea would have a companion by his side- one who is much more attractive than you, might I add."

At first, her eyes were as blue as an ocean in Greece. Now they were a flaming red color. "You didn't think he actually cared for you, did you? A mere mortal? You are nothing to him. He will soon forget about you and your child."

"What child?" I asked, beginning to panic. She had her hand around my neck, her sharp nails starting to dig into my throat. It felt so real. Could it actually be a dream? When I first saw her, she looked like a nice little mermaid. Now she looked like an evil sea witch.

She laughed a deep, sinister laugh. "Oh, I could kill you right now, you foolish girl!" But then, her voice broke, and she had tears in her eyes. "You tried to ruin my marriage! I will kill you! I will kill you!" Her face was so twisted and gruesome by now she looked like the epitomy of evil. As long as I lived I would never forget that look- those wild eyes, that murderous look. At that moment, I couldn't exactly see why Poseidon married her.

Then she went crazy. She made water burst from the sink, and made strange sea monsters pop out from every corner- my trash can, my refrigerator, everywhere. She grabbed me by the hair and dragged me over to the stove.

"I will watch you die, Sally Jackson." With that, she threw my head down on the stove as if it was a basketball.

* * *

I woke with a start. My head was hurting so much I thought it was going to explode. When I opened my eyes, I didn't recognize where I was. The room was white and bland. I was laying down on some kind of bed with my Winnie the Pooh prize sunggled up by my side.

I tried to sit up, and as soon as I did, the world started spinning again. I felt cold hands pushing me back down.

"Oh no you don't." I focused on a lady wearing scrubs. She must be a nurse. "How are you feeling? Are you alright?"

"What happened? Where's Pos-" I looked over the nurse's shoulder and saw Poseidon standing behind her, a grim look on his face. I held out my arms, and he hugged me.

When he let go, the nurse explained: "You were on a roller coaster and you fainted. Your husband carried you to the First Aid station here at Astroland."

Husband? Oh, she meant Poseidon...

"Oh." I said weakly. I felt myself starting to get nauseous again.

The nurse sat down. "Ma'am, the sign near the entrance of the ride clearly said that if you are pregnant, you are not supposed to get on the ride-"

I sat up, ignoring the blurriness. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. _Pregnant_?_ Me_?" I looked over at Poseidon, and he had a grim expression on his face. He wouldn't meet my eyes.

This was bad. Very, very bad.

The nurse gave me a confused look. "Uh...yes." She glanced down at her clipboard. "You are about one month in."

Now the world was really spinning. How was this possible? How did I let this happen? I tried to remember if we had used any protection.

We hadn't.

I couldn't believe how careless I was. I didn't get my period last month, and it went completely over my head. This would explain the drowsiness, the food cravings, all of it. I was carrying a little demigod inside of me. It was the most surreal experience ever imaginable.

"I'm...I'm pregnant?" I asked. A smile spread across my face. Inside of me, I was carrying the perfect mixture of myself and the love of my life. At that moment, I refused to even think about how dire the consequences were. I ignored the fact that I was pregnant with possibly the most powerful child born in years.

The nurse was able to give me information on what to do now. I should see a doctor immediately. She warned me no more roller coasters, ect. Although I have to say, this was a child of one of the Big Three. I don't think a roller coaster would shake them.

We decided to call of the trip and hea back to my apartment. Poseidon still hadn't really said anything to me, which was kind of killing my buzz. Here I was, absolutely ecstatic that I was pregnant with _his_ own child, and he didn't say _anything_. But then again, I couldn't imagine what this would mean for him.

I looked out the window. A heavy storm was falling harder then I'd ever seen.

I looked over at Poseidon, who was gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned white.

This was the Stormbringer. And here was the storm, reflecting his mood.

I was going to be in _so_ much trouble.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys! Here goes chapter nine! I just want to say thank you guys so so much for commenting on my story, your reviews really do mean the world to me, and they have all been really nice! Thank you guys _so_ much! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and continue to read and review! :D**

* * *

By the time we reached my apartment it was about 3:00 in the morning, and I was exhausted. We walked into my room quietly so that we wouldn't wake up Aida.

I sat on my bed, acting innocent while Poseidon was looked out the window, his face expressionless.

"So..." I tried.

"So." Poseidon said.

After a long silence, I spoke: "Poeseidon, please talk to me."

"I don't know what to say." He sat on the edge of the bed, putting his head in his hands.

I started to get irritated. He could at least pretend to be happy. Instead, he was remorseful. "You could say congratulations."

"Congratulations?" Poseidon said, standing up and looking at me with a wild look in his eyes. "_Congratulations_? Do you have the smallest idea of what this means?"

Scratch that. I wasn't irritated. I was_ furious_. "Well, I for one, am extremely happy."

"How can you be happy?" He said, trying not to yell. "Do you have any idea what you are carrying inside of you? That child could mean the destruction of Olympus!"

"This _child_ is your son or daughter! I know the circumstances aren't exactly ideal, but you could at least pretend to be happy! _You're_ not going through this, I am! _You_ are not the one who is going to have to raise this child, it's _me_. _I'm_ going to have to work my butt off to make ends meet! I understand the power this child is going to have, but do you understand the struggle that I'm going to go through? I have nobody. You were the only person I have, and you're going to leave. Also, you've said it yourself, your children are so powerful they hardly ever make it to the age of sixteen, they get attacked by monsters so much. You don't seem even a little bit concerned about me _or_ the baby!"

"Sally-" Poseidon began.

"No! I don't want to hear it!" I stood up now, pushing him back. "You're going to leave eventually! Why don't you just get it over with right now? Just leave!" I opened the door for him. He just stood there, studying me. I know I _should_ have been afraid. I did some serious back-talk to the god of the sea. But I couldn't be afraid. I was too angry.

Eventually, Poseidon walked out the door. I slammed it behind him, not caring who was sleeping.

I plopped down on my bed and began sobbing uncontrollably. Outside, the strom grew heavier and heavier.

_Good_, I thought. _I hope he's upset_.

* * *

Later that day, I went down to the pharmacy to pick up a pregnancy test. I had to see it for myself. I drank a few bottles of water and when I took the pregnancy test, a tiny pink plus sign appeared.

So the nurse at Coney Island wasn't joking. I was definitely 100 percent pregnant.

And I was alone.

My heart felt heavy now that Poseidon was gone. It had been so long since I'd been through heartache, and now I experienced it full force. I had met my true love just to have him slip through my fingers. Of course the first time I fell in love, it was with a mythological god that couldn't even stay forever.

I sat in my room for the longest time, not knowing what to do. As I watched the rain fall down on my window, I realized what I could and couldn't do. I _could_ write down the story of what happened between Poseidon and I. I _could_ love him as long as I lived, and I could guard this baby with my life.

Here's what I couldn't do: I couldn't sit around and feel sorry for myself.

Sure I was alone. But in nine months, I wouldn't be. In that moment, I knew exactly what I had to do. I remembered the man I danced with on Halloween, his awful smell... in due time, I would need his assistance. If Poseidon wasn't going to care for this baby, I would. And I most certainly was not going to wait around for Poseidon to stroll into my life and solve all my problems. I've been solving my own problems for twenty-three years- I didn't need his help now!

* * *

I put on my uniform, and marched down to New York Pretzels.

Now let me tell you something. I love my job. Sure I don't get paid much, but I love it- I love the people that work there, the free food, and the smell. Poseidon used to always comment on how I always smelled like pretzels, and he loved that about me.

I walked in, put my apron on the counter, and said firmly: "I quit."

My boss and co-workers stood there, shocked. I was the most committed to my job, the one with the best attitude, and here I was quitting.

If I was going to raise a kid, I needed more money. I couldn't be getting less than minimum wage the rest of my life.

"Um, Sally... what's going on?" My boss, Shabir said.

"You heard me. I quit. I'm very sorry that I have to go, but it's something that I have to do. I hope you'll understand."

With that, I ran out of the pretzel place and down the street to the subway station. I didn't want to be late for my new job.

* * *

Remember Aida, the little old lady who is my roomate? She hooked me up, big time.

When I told her I was pregnant, she said that she had a great job that I could do. Her daughter had three little grandkids, and since her daughter was always working, she needed a nanny. Since it was so many kids and the hours were so long (From about 8:00 in the morning to about 6:30 at night) I would get paid around 10-20 dollars an hour. It seemed like a pretty good deal: I could get experience with kids, and I would be getting a pretty good pay!

Aida's daughter was really wealthy, so when I arrived at their apartment, I felt like a million bucks. The three kids were eating breakfast- they were all around the same age, and they were absolutely adorable. I learned there were two boys and one girl: The girl was Wendy, and the stangest part was that the two other children, Travis and Connor looked almost exactly alike, but they looked almost nothing like Wendy. I couldn't help but wonder if these kids were from a different father than Wendy.

Their mother, Ms. Stoll told me everything I had to do: I had to tutor each kid for exactly an hour, give them a bath, make sure they have food, and ect. She also told me to be careful with Connor and Travis- they were serious trouble makers.

When Ms. Stoll left, all the kids went crazy. They started running around the house, taking things out of drawers and throwing them out.

"Hiya, Nanny! I think you're beautiful!" Travis said, pulling me down to his level. He gave me a huge kiss on the lips, and while I was bent over, Connor came and slapped my butt from behind.

I faced Connor and scolded him: "You can't just go around slapping people's butts! You'll never get a girlfriend that way!"

Right after I said that, little Wendy came out of her room, crying. "Travis and Connor broke my teddy bear!"

"No we didn't!" They said in unison.

"Yes they did!" She said, sobbing hysterically. She showed me the teddy bear. The poor thing was missing it's head, and on it's belly it had inscribed: 'T&C'

"Boys!" I said, turning to Travis and Connor. "You are on time out!"

Most of the days passed by like this: the kids went crazy and I attempted to tame them. I tutored each of them every day, showing them how to add two plus two and how to spell small words. Travis and Connor had a really hard time spelling and reading, and I wasn't sure why. I didn't think these kids were stupid- on the contrary, they were really intelligent. They would always play pranks on me and Wendy, but they were so clever you didn't see them coming.

I began to grow a special bond with the kids the more I was with them. When I told them I was carrying a little baby in my belly, they got all excited and began rubbing and kissing my belly as if I was a golden statue of Buda.

They loved having me over. They would always tell me, "I love you Nanny Sally!" I would color with them, watch movies with them, and I would tell them all types of stories. Wendy loved the story of Peter Pan, but Travis and Connor liked the story of the Greek myths, particularly the ones about Hermes.

By the time Christmas rolled around, I was sure I had the whole taking care of kids thing down to a science. The kids took up so much of my time, when I came home I just slept. I didn't even have time to think about Poseidon anymore, which was good, but it made me kind of sad because...well, I didn't want to just _forget_.

* * *

Christmas Day, I spent with Aida and her family. It turns out Ms. Stoll was a single mom, that's why she had to work so hard. You have to admire Ms. Stoll- I mean Ruby (that's what she lets me call her now) because even though she's a single mom with three kids, she still has them living the good life.

It was nice to spend Christmas with the Stoll family; it almost felt like they were my family. The kids even gave me gifts- Wendy drew me a picture of her and I flying and the caption said, "I love you Nanny Sally! Happy Christmas!" Of course Travis an Connor gave me a can of fake vomit in case I ever needed to pretend I was sick.

We sat eating cinnamon pretzels I made and watching _Peter Pan_. It was the best Christmas I had in years. I knew that when my baby was born, I would take him/her to play with these kids.

When I got to my apartment that night (Aida was sleeping over her daughter's house) I changed into my pajamas and started to eat salty crackers- that was one thing that hadn't left- my cravings for seafood and salt.

I started watching the Charlie Brown Christmas special, when there was a knock on the door.

When I opened the door, I saw Poseidon leaning against the door frame with a blue box in his hand.

"Merry Christmas, Sally. May I come in?"


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey everybody! I just want to start off by reminding you guys how awesome you all are! Thanks to each and everyone of you who has commented on my story, you guys are amazing! Soooo up goes chapter 10, I hope you guys like it, I had a _serious_ case of writers block towards the end, but oh well! I was planning to put up two or three more chapters after this, so stay tuned, and the more reviews the faster I update! ;)**

* * *

"Merry Christmas, Sally. May I come in?"

For a long moment, I wasn't sure what to do. I wanted to slam the door shut on his face, but...

"I guess I don't really have a choice, you being a god and all." I said coldly.

A smile played on the corners of his lips. "No, I guess you don't."

I reluctantly moved out of the way, and Poseidon walked in. I tried to act as cold as possible, but I felt myself blush the way I usually did when he was around.

"So how've you been?" He asked.

My eyes narrowed. "Pretty good, how about yourself?"

"Busy." He paused, sniffing. "I smell fish."

I blushed even harder. "I keep frozen fish sticks in my refrigerator."

He wrinkled his nose. "It doesn't smell like you in here."

"Well, I've changed." I said, turning off the TV and sitting on the couch.

"I see that." He said sadly. "You quit your job."

"How did you..." I began. I shook my head. _Of course_ he knew.

He sat down on the couch next to me. "Sally, I came here to tell you that...I'm sorry."

"Come again?"

He grimaced. "Apologizing is something very hard for us Olympians to do. I hope you give me credit for trying."

I fought a smile. "Alright."

He took a deep breath and continued: "I just wanted you to know that you were right. I suppose it_ is_ partly my fault for all of this, and I left you alone, but I don't want to." He took my hand. "I want you to believe me when I say that you have changed me. I suppose I was always the softer one of the Big Three, but nevertheless, I am a god, and I can often be very harsh an cruel. But you... you have changed me completely. You, Sally Jackson, have shown me kindness and compassion in more ways than one. You have taught me not to simply use mortals and then forget about them. Most of all, you have taught me what love really is. I love you, Sally."

He paused, searching my eyes. By this point I was blubbering like a baby. Okay, not blubbering, but I had tears rolling down my cheeks like a waterfall. Everything he said... I believed him, and I didn't think it was naiive. If you saw the look in his eyes... oh, baby.

He pulled out the blue box he had in his hands. "Which is why I want to give you this. Open it!"

I took the box in my hands. Instead of Christmas wrapping, of course it was wrapped in a shiny blue wrapping with fishies on it. I opened the box, and inside was the most beautiful snowglobe I'd ever seen.

On the base of the snowglobe, it was filled with pearls and tiny seashells. Inside the actual glass was the most beautiful, most elegant castle I'd ever seen in my whole life. The castle was huge- it looked like it was made of marble, with huge and numerous towers. I'm telling you, this castle would have made the Little Mermaid green with envy.

I tried shaking the snowglobe to see the snow fall, but nothing fell. Instead, it seemed like there was only water inside, and when I shook it, the water rippled as though waves were crashing. It was by far the most beautiful snowglobe in the world.

"Poseidon, this... this is beautiful!" I excalimed.

"I'm glad you like it. Because that castle... it can be yours." He said quietly.

"What?"

"Sally... I am forced to go back to sea. Recently the winter solstice passed, and each winter solstice the Olympians have their council. It has been determined that I go back to sea, but I don't want to leave you by yourself. I told you, I love you and our soon to be born child. I won't leave you alone in this." He took my hand and gripped it firmly. "I can stop the tide for you. I can build you this palace at the bottom of the sea. I will protect you _and_ our child. The child will be close to his father, and I will be close to you. You both will be safe with me." He took my hand and placed it on his cheek. "Just say yes. I'll keep you safe."

I carefully removed my hand, hoping not to offend him. His offer was tempting, and I wanted to accept, I really did. I almost did, but I summoned all the willpower I had and said, "I can't."

Poseidon's face dropped. He looked so dissapointed I almost said, _Ha! Just kidding, of course I will, you big oaf!_

Instead, I sat on his lap, and continued: "As tempting as that offer is, I can't let you do that. I can't let you take care of me. I have to find the courage on my own. I've taken care of myself since as long as I can remember, and I can take care of our child by myself. Your offer is almost too good to resist, but I just can't, you see? I love you, Poseidon, and you have changed me in many ways as well. But you have a job to do, and so do I. You can't hide me and your child at the bottom of the ocean."

I took his hand, and placed it on my belly. I hesitated, then spoke: "Our child..._will_ decide the fate of Olympus-"

Poseidon's eyes widened. "How.."

I shrugged. "Just a feeling." I laughed, then continued. "I'll raise him here in New York, close to Olympus. I know what I have to do to keep him safe, and I'll do it. But we don't belong in the ocean."

"I won't leave you by yourself!" Poseidon insisted.

"Hey." I said, stroking his cheek. "You're not. You've left me a part of you. I'll be fine. I promise."

I held out my pinky. He looped his around mine and we sealed the deal. Of course it wasn't as serious as an oath on the River Styx, but I wasn't going to take chances. Our child was cursed enough.

"So... What now?" I asked.

Poseidon wouldn't meet my eyes. "Well I'd hate to be the bearer of bad news, but... this might be the last time you see me for a long time."

He was right. He was being forced to go back to sea- back to his home, to his wife... His words hit me like a ton of bricks, and I felt myself starting to cry again. I fought against it, because I didn't want him to think I was a wimp.

He wiped away the tears that escaped and said, "I'll always love you, Sally. I could never forget you."

That was the last night we spent together.

* * *

The next morning, I expected Poseidon to be gone with a puff of smoke, but when I woke up, he was still there. I knew he had to go soon but I kept stalling- I made him a huge breakfast and he couldn't resist helping me take down the Christmas ornaments when he saw me 'struggling'.

But finally the time came when all the chores around the house were done, and Poseidon said (with dramatic effect), "It's time."

I sighed. "Alright, so how is this gonna work, this whole leaving thing of yours?"

"Well, in case you haven't noticed, I've been stalling. I don't want to leave."

"Why is that?" I teased.

He brushed back the hair from my face. "For one thing, I'd be leaving behind the woman I love."

"Then don't leave."

He sighed. "You know I don't want to."

"Well, I guess we knew this moment was coming eventually."

He put his arms around me. "I offered to stop the tide for you..."

I patted his hand reassuringly. "I know, and thank you... but we_ both_ have jobs to do."

* * *

The next thing I knew, I was driving Poseidon's Jeep down to Montauk. We did our best to pretend this wasn't the last time we would be together- we had all the windows rolled down and U2's "New Years Day" playing at full volume. Poseidon and I sang along, struggling to imitate Bono's voice... it didn't exactly work out.

"You sing like a baby walrus!" Poseidon yelled over the music.

I laughed, and just started singing louder and even more off key. It was fun- for a while my life didn't seem so hard; I was just goofing off with my best friend.

Before I knew it, it started smelling like the sea outside, and I knew we arrived at Montauk. Poseidon realized it too, and a grim expression took over his face.

"I believe this is our stop." I said, sliding into a parking space and turning off the car.

When I tried handing him back the keys, he said, "Hey, it's yours."

"Wow, thanks, babe!" I said, leaning over and kissing him on the cheek. Poseidon tried to give me a kiss on the lips, but I just turned my head away. Poseidon was actually leaving. It was starting to hit me...

Poseidon had his arm around me as we walked to the shore. No one was at the beach- it was December in New York, who in their right mind would be at the beach? Even though I was wearing layers and layers of clothing, it was Poseidon's body heat kept me really warm.

Poseidon stuck his trident in the sand. We just stood there, facing each other, not sure what to do next.

"So," I tried. "What's next on the agenda for the Great and Powerful Poseidon?"

Despite himself, Poseidon laughed. "Sally, I'm the god of the sea, not the Wizard of Oz."

I rolled my eyes, but I couldn't help laughing, too. "Same difference."

It was quiet for a long time before Poseidon quietly said, "You know you're taking this whole thing really well."

Was I? I felt like I was dying inside... "I guess I'm used to hiding stuff like that."

I felt the tears well up in my eyes. I looked away, hoping Poseidon wouldn't see me wipe away snot from my nose. "I'm going to miss you a lot."

Poseidon kissed the top of my head. "I'll never be that far away... I know I won't physically be with you, but I will be watching over you and our baby."

That comforted me somewhat, but I still felt like my heart was being torn into a million little pieces. The sun was starting to go down, so I said, "I guess you should get going, then."

Poseidon took hold of his trident. "I meant everything I said." He paused. "Take care, Sally." I watched him tread slowly to the ocean, my heart breaking with each step away from me he took.

All of a sudden there was a small boat anchored waiting for Poseidon. He told me he was setting sail across the Atlantic... at least that's the excuse he wanted me to tell our child. With time, he would claim our baby, and when the time was right, I would have to send the baby to a special camp for demigods...Capm Half-Blood. Last night Poseidon explained everything to me, that this powerful demigod might have to be away from me year round...

The weight of everything seemed to fall down on me all at once. I was going to have to raise and support a child all by myself, I was having the love of my life taken away from me- it all seemed like to much to bear. I began to cry so hard, the tears blurred my vision. I always tried to act strong, but maybe it was just that- an act.

"P-Poseidon?" I called in a small voice. I began to walk toward him but stumbled because of my blurred vision.

"Poseidon!" I called again, my voice stronger now.

He turned around and faced me. I took in all his features: his dark hair, sea green eyes, the wrinkles around his eyes...

"Don't go..." I begged, running towards him.

He began running towards me. He dropped his trident and picked me up in his arms so that my feet came off the ground.

I began somthering his face with kisses and repeating the words 'I love you.'

He kissed me back with as much intensity. Then he just held me there in his arms for a long time. I'm not sure how long it was, but it wasn't nearly long enough.

"You're a strong woman, Sally. I'm so proud to have met you." He said, looking into my eyes intensely.

"You really think so?"

"I know so." He said, wiping away tears from my face. "You'll be a great mother. That child is going to be very loved."

I threw my arms around him one last time, taking in his scent of a fresh sea breeze.

"Don't forget about me." I whispered into his chest.

"How could I?" He hesitated, then added: "Don't forget about me."

I had to laugh. "I think that's kind of impossible."

He laughed, then his face became very serious. In his eyes, I felt like I saw an ocean spread out before me. "Goodbye, Sally Jackson."

I curtsied. "Goodbye, Poseidon."

He bent down and kissed my belly once, then ran back to his boat. We waved goodbye and blew kisses at each other until his boat was gone from view, leaving an unusually warm sea breeze behind.

When he was officially gone from view, I plopped down on the sand and let a few sobs escape me.

I realized this was the exact spot where Poseidon and I met five months ago, except now the air was cold and crisp instead of warm and humid. I was right back where I started- except now everything was different.

With a heavy heart and a runny nose, I made my way back to the car, leaving all traces of Poseidon behind.


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello again! Okay, let me just say one more time how awesome you are. All of your comments have been so so nice, and I appreciate them so much! I wish I could just give you all a big hug! :D Haha so here goes chapter 11, I really hope you guys like it, I put a lot of research into it ;) Also, I wanted you guys to comment and let me know what you guys want: I have another chapter planned, then I was thinking of maybe doing a little epilouge with toddler Percy and Sally. Would that be okay with you guys? Let me know! R&R please! :)**

* * *

**AUGUST 1993**

I woke up on Wednesday, August 18th to the feeling of my baby boy kicking inside of me. When I opened my eyes, I couldn't see anything because my enormous belly was in the way. It was about 7:00, so I decided to get up and pick up a few things at the 24 hour grocery store down the street.

I guess I should fill you in on what has happened since I last saw Poseidon. For starters, I saved up enough money to get out of the ratty old apartment in the Bronx. I moved into a small little apartment in a friendlier area, although it still wasn't anything super special. I was still babysitting the Stoll children, but they were getting ready to move out of New York, so soon enough I would be out of work.

Also, I hadn't seen or heard from Poseidon, but I suppose that was to be expected, him being a god and all. Still, I missed him a lot and it would've been nice to have him with me throughout this whole process. Despite all this, I had the feeling that he was somehow watching me... I can't explain it, I just feel like even though I couldn't see him, his presence was somehow _here_.

As far as my pregnancy went, I found out that I was having a baby boy. I was absolutely ecstatic, and I decided on the name Perseus (Percy for short) because I loved the story of Perseus. He was a great hero and also, his story had a happy ending. Not to mention he totally loved his mommy in the story.

With my spare money, I bought baby clothes and little baby toys, although I didn't have enough money to deck out the nursery and make it really cute. I managed to paint the walls a baby blue color, and Ms. Stoll gave me the crib she used for her kids. I was grateful for it, I really was.. Even though the crib was pretty beat up and old, it would have to do (how a crib gets beat up, I have no clue.) I felt really guilty I couldn't give my baby more, but it really _was_ all I could afford.

Anyways, I waddled down to the grocery store down the block, and picked up a few sweets for the kids. In my condition, I couldn't run around with them as much as I used to. In fact, being pregnant was starting to get really annoying. Percy was constantly kicking, and I mean _constantly_. Many times, he kept me from sleeping. My ankles were always swollen, and I always felt like I was going to die from a heat stroke.

_It'll be all worth it_! I told myself, but it was really hard, being pregnant. Also, I had eaten so much fish in the past nine months, I vowed I would never take another bite of fish when this was all said and done.

Despite my discomfort, I made my way to the Subway station, groceries in hand. When my train finally arrived, I walked into the cab, and there was no one except one middle aged man in a jogging suit. I found it kind of weird because usually there were at least some people on the subway trains, but there was only this jogger and me. He had elfish features, and was sitting there with a sly grin on his face. The resemblance between him and Travis and Connor was disturbing, really, and I wasn't exactly sure why.

I could have sat in any seat, but I don't know why- I felt compelled to sit next to this stranger.

I plopped down next to him. "Good morning."

"Morning!" He said, his sly grin getting bigger.

There was a long silence, but I still felt his eyes on me.

After a long while, I spoke. "Do I know you? Because I feel like I know you from somewhere."

Now his grin was so huge it seemed to cover his whole face. "I thought the winged shoes gave it away."

"What?" I asked, baffled. I looked down to his feet and saw this guy was right- his shoes had wings on them! "Holy-"

"Hermes, god of theives, roads, speed, messengers, commerce, travel, and mail deliveries at your service!" He leaned in close to me, as if he was about to share a very big secret. "But some people like to call me... _the messenger god_." He backed away with a satisfied grin on his face.

"Oh. That's very... impressive!" I chuckled nervously. What do I do now? Should I _bow_? "I mean no disrespect when I say this, but... what are you doing here? In a subway?"

"Well what do you think? I'm delivering something!" Then he muttered under his breath, "Although I didn't see delivering _babies_ anywhere in my job description."

"Come again?" I asked. What exactly was going on?

"Well, Ms. Sally Jackson... Poseidon sent me here." He said.

"Poseidon? Why would he do that?"

He patted my hand. "You see, I've known about you and Poseidon for quite some time. I mean, it is pretty much my business to know. I'm the messenger god, so I know everything that goes on in Olympus." He must have seen the terrified expression on my face because he hastily added, "But not to worry, I would never say a word about it. I shudder to think about what Zeus or Hades would say." He shuddered. "Anyways, Poseidon has been desperately trying to come and visit you at least every once in a while, but since Poseidon was with you for so long, Zeus became suspicious about what he was doing and would have none of it. Poseidon simply could not get away, yet he couldn't bear the thought of you being alone the day you gave birth."

"But I'm not supposed to go into labor until later on this week-"

Hermes looked at his watch. "Ah, actually, your water should break in about... one minute? Oh, I don't know, _Apollo_ is the god of prophecies, not me. The point is, Poseidon didn't want you to be alone today, and since he couldn't come, naturally he sent me, the messenger god."

I started to get a little bit upset. Poseidon couldn't come to see the birth of his own child so instead he sent _this guy_?

"Besides," Hermes added, interrupting my thoughts. "I don't mind coming. I hear you've been taking care of my kids."

My eyes widened once more. "You mean-"

He nodded. "Connor and Travis are my sons. As for little Wendy, she's just a regular mortal."

My mind was blown once again.

Hermes took my hands in his. "And sweetheart, don't be upset with Poseidon. He wanted to come, he really did. But he simply couldn't, you see? He has been trying relentlessly to come visit you, but he can't. I know I'm not Poseidon, but at least you know he cares."

I blinked away tears from my eyes. Hermes was right. This was Poseidon's way of showing he cared.

"Oh, thank you Hermes. This is just so sweet-" I stopped abruptly. I looked down, and I found what seemed like an ocean of water was streaming out of my, er, girly bits.

I looked at Hermes, who was wearing a mischeivious grin. "I told you so." As soon as he said that, the doors of the subway train flew open. I found this was the exact stop that would take us to the hospital where I planned to deliver Percy.

Hermes took my hand and my groceries with his free hand. "Let's go deliver the son of the god of the sea."

Almost immediately I felt contractions. They were very short, but extremely intense. Walking helped, and Hermes guided me through the congested New York streets. We had quite a few blocks to walk before we arrived at the hospital.

"Okay, Sally." Hermes began. "Since your child is a demigod, the delivery is going to be _much_ more painful than regular mortal births-"

"Great." I muttered.

"However, usually they come out fairly quickly." Hermes gave me a sideways glance. "_Usually_."

Four hours later, my contractions were so painful, I was practically begging for mercy. My back hurt so badly I could barely move, although I kept pacing around my hospital room (supposedly it helps). Hermes sat in those uncomfortable hospital chairs, gripping the arm rests so tight I thought he was going to break it. Even though he was a god, he looked absolutely terrified.

I took deep breaths, pacing back and forth. "Ohhhh Hermes when is this going to be over? I thought these demigod births happened fast!"

Hermes was extremely pale by this point. "I was just wondering the same thing."

"I can't take it anymore." I wailed. "It hurts so bad-" The pain was just so so intense, I couldn't walk anymore. I'm telling you right now- to whoever is reading this, go hug your mom right now. I had never experienced anything more painful in my entire life. I sat down on my bed and began to scream into my pillow. I screamed so loud, I guess the doctors heard because they stormed through the door.

"We'll take you to your delivery room."

* * *

It felt like I was pushing for a lifetime. After a few hours, I forgot what it felt like to_ not_ be in labor. The whole process was absolutely exhausting, and it was excruciatingly painful. The drugs helped a little bit, but I was still in agonizing pain.

"HERMES!" I yelled at the top of my lungs.

He ran to my side. "It's okay, Sally. You're doing great. Push. Breathe." He looked over the side to see the baby. "WHOA! That baby has a big head!"

"WHAT?" I demanded. "BUT HE ONLY HAS ONE HEAD RIGHT?"

"Yeah, but whoa. What did you want to name him?"

"PERSEUS."

"Might want to reconsider, maybe name him Baby Big Head." Hermes broke out laughing, although I didn't find it funny. "Relax, it was just a joke."

I gripped Hermes's hand so tight, he winced. "Whoa, easy, Sally. Take it easy."

"I'M IN PAIN!" I screached. "OHHH I'M NEVER HAVING KIDS AGAIN!"

The doctor spoke: "He's almost out, Sally. Push harder, you're almost done! Take a deep breath-"

Hermes and I took a deep breath together. I gave one last push, and all of a sudden, the pain was gone. I felt exhausted, yet invigorated at the same time.

The doctor cut the umbilicle cord, and all of a sudden I heard my baby begin to cry. The doctor held him up in the air, and said "Congratulations. You have a beautiful baby boy."

Hermes took the baby from the doctor. "He's so handsome, Sally."

I reached out for my baby, dying to see him, when suddenly all the nurses and doctors in the room had a dazed expression in their faces. I began to panic,what if it turned out that the people who delivered my baby were monsters?

They weren't monsters. In fact, they all knelt as if they knew that this was Perseus Jackson, the son of Poseidon. They remained kneeling while Hermes spoke some ancient words to Percy, some sort of blessing I guessed. Just as quickly as it happened, they were up again, pretending as though it never happened. Ah, the Mist strikes again.

Hermes gave me the baby, then kissed the top of my sweaty head. "Congratulations."

I looked down at my baby for the first time, and automatically tears rolled down my cheeks. Even crying hysterically, he was just so handsome it took my breath away. When he opened his eyes, I thought I was looking into Poseidon's eyes- they were green, like the sea. Percy was by far the cutest baby I had ever seen in my life.

I kissed the top of his bloody head. "Hi, Percy. I'm your mommy." I began weeping, I was just so incredibly happy. Looking into this baby's tiny face, I finally knew a mother's love. There truly was nothing like seeing your newborn baby for the first time- it was absolutely exhilirating. From that moment on, there was nothing in this world worth living for. It seemed like he was the one thing keeping me anchored to this world- and there's nothing I wouldn't do for this baby. I would protect this baby through anything, and I would willingly fight an army of monsters for him if need be.

I looked up at Hermes, but when I looked around the room, he was nowhere to be found. _Of course_, I thought._ Olympians_.

When I was finally allowed to leave the hospital and go home, I found Percy's nursery had been completely redone.

The walls were still a light blue, but on the walls were stencils of different sea creatures such as seahorses, crabs, octopuses, dolphins- you name it. All the stencils made me feel like I was actually underwater. Everything was sea themed- the blankets had sea elements on it, the mobile had different fishies on it, and even the toys were sea creatures. Oh, and the crib... The crib was brand new and beautiful. On either side, it had "Percy" inscribed on it.

I sat down on the rocking chair, rocking baby Percy back and forth. I smirked, knowing exactly who did this. "Thanks, Poseidon." I said out loud.

As soon as I said that, there was a very suspicious warm sea breeze.

I guess Poseidon was looking out for us after all.


	12. Chapter 12

**PLEASE READ! Hey everybody! I'm sooooo so incredibly sorry it took me so long to update, I had a _serious_ case of writers block. Thank you guys again for all the comments, you guys are so nice! Also, I want you guys to note: this is not the epilouge. I really wanted to put up an epilouge with Sally a few years from this chapter, so that we see where she's at and ect. But I really need u guys to comment and let me know if you guys want me to end it here, or if I you guys would like me to put up the epilogue. Let me know! Oh, and one more note! The song "One Last Wish" by James Horner inspired me to write this, and if you listen to it during the part where Poseidon sees Sally and such, it is MAGIC, like seriously. Haha well, I guess that's it! Enjoy, everybody! R&R**

* * *

**Poseidon's POV**

**FEBRUARY 1994**

Being the god of the sea _really_ has its perks.

It is convenient because being a god, i can basically do anything I want; for example I can control storms, oceans, horses, spontaneously appear anywhere... I never really appreciated this gift until I met Sally Jackson.

Ah, Sally. I could talk to you about her forever. A girl so beautiful, kind, and pure. I have been around since the begninning of time, and I have never met or seen anyone like her. She is kind and compassionate to people who don't deserve it, never sees the bad side of people, and even if I went and killed her parents (which I didn't) she would _still_ wish nothing for the best for me. That was the kind of girl she was- she was pure and innocent, never wished harm upon anyone. I had never met any one so joyful when they had every reason not to be.

Even though I had to leave her, she was still joyful and treated me with love and affection. It tore me apart to leave her, but you have to understand I had _no cotrol_ over it. I offered her a palace under the sea with me, but she refused. What else could I do? Drag her to the bottom of the ocean to be with me despite what she wants? No, if she wanted to be away from me, I would have to respect that.

I sat on my throne in my underwater palace. No one was around, not even Amphitrite (thank goodness) so I took advantage of the moment. I pulled out a seashell the size of a laptop and said to it, "Show me Perseus Jackson."

This was how I spent my free time: I would watch over Sally and my son. I vowed to watch over this son of mine- he had my blessing, and I would do my very best to protect him through everything. It killed me that I couldn't directly interfere with his life; I couldn't exactly show up to one of his basketball games or show up to Parent Day at his school. I loved all of my children, and this one was special to me. I just _knew_ he was destined for greatness.

At this moment, all I saw was six month old Percy in his stroller. He was laughing and clapping his tiny hands together. Pushing the stroller, I saw Sally- she was wearing a jogging outfit and seemed to be going for a jog around Central Park,. Despite the cold weather, she was drenched in sweat and breathing hard. Even sweaty and red, she was absolutely beautiful. She was so beautiful it made my heart ache.

I was there watching over them for a while, when Sally finally went down to the Subway, my son in her arms. I would've kept watching them, but Amphitrite walked in, and I quickly hid the seashell.

"Hello, husband." She said. She was beautiful, don't get me wrong... but it looked like she always had a stick up her rear.

I tried to give her a warm smile. "Hello, dear. Er, uh, how are you?"

"Very good, thank you." We stood there for a long moment. Amphitrite didn't say much... but I get the feeling she would have a whole lot to say if she found out about me and Sally.

"I just wanted to inform you that Queen Hera is having a party for all the goddesses, and I was planning to attend..."

There was an akward silence. "Well, carry on then!" I grinned at her.

She paused, as if she wanted me to beg her to stay, but there's no way that was going to happen. For about 15 months, she has not let me out of her sight. _Literally._

"Alright then." She bit her lip.

"Alright!"

"I'll be going then..." She said, backing away slowly.

"Have fun!" I shot her a two thumbs up and my very best Colgate smile.

She scowled and then walked out. I breathed I sigh of relief. _Finally._

After telling my son that I was leaving on important business and would be back before the sun rose, I stepped out to into the cold New York air. At least, it would be cold for a regular mortal. For me, the temperature was perfectly fine- tropical even. Weather didn't really affect gods like it did mortals.

I walked the congested New York streets until I made it to Sally's apartment. I went up through the fire escape and adjusted the Mist so no mortal would think some strange creep was climbing up the fire escape. I made it to Sally's floor, and when I looked in the window, I saw Percy's nursery.

I stayed close to the wall so that Sally wouldn't see me. When I looked in, Percy's nursery was exactly the way I had left it. The walls were blue, and there was still the ocean themed decorations. Sally was changing Percy's diaper, and was cooing things like, "Oooh Percy made a tinkle!" or "My wittle hero made a pee pee!"

I laughed at the baby voice Sally used, and personally, I thought she sounded like an airhead, but baby Percy was so thrilled he could barely contain himself. He was clapping his hands and laughing so much he couldn't even stay still!

I looked in and saw Sally looked like a mess- yet seeing her so close... I could barely contain myself. Her hair was tied in a ponytail and she had stray hairs pointing in strange angles. It took everything in me not to open the window and go in.

You see, she couldn't know I was here. _At all_. Most mortals, after having a child with a god go crazy afterward. They become extremely clingy and they lose their minds. I thought about Hermes's novella with May Castellan and shuddered. I couldn't let that happen to Sally. So far, she was handling things very well. What would she do if she saw me again? I didn't want to give her a false hope.

Sally put on Percy's baby blue footsie pajamas and gently placed him in his cradle. She gave him one more kiss, then walked out the nursery, closing the door behind her. After a few moments, I heard the shower start in her bathroom, and decided _this_ was my chance.

I stepped inside the nursery and walked over to the cradle. I have to admit, I was really nervous, even for a god. I was seeing my son, my pride and joy, for the first time. I looked down at him, and felt a smile spread across my face.

He was absolutely precious. He was so tiny, with a thin amount of dark hair and sea green eyes. It was shocking, really, how much he looked like me. Yet I still saw Sally's features in the shape of his eyes, the shape of his lips, the shade of his hair. I felt tears well up in my eyes- he seemed so innocent. When he saw me he, just gave me a very serious look, as if he was thinking: _Hey, wait a minute. Who is this guy?_

"Hey, Percy," I said, smiling. "It's your dad."

He paused for a moment, as though he was processing this idea. Then he clapped his hands together and laughed, like he decided that I was probably telling the truth.

Nearby, I spotted his baby rattle. I took it and began shaking it in front of him. Percy went crazy- he started squirming and smiling at me. He looked so cute when he smiled, I couldn't help but smile also.

I'm not sure how long I spent standing there over his cradle, but all of a sudden I heard Sally singing to herself and her footsteps approaching. I quickly snapped my fingers, and I was outside on the fire escape once more.

Saslly stepped in the nursery singing, "_Now I've_... _had the time of my life, no I never felt like this before_..."

She took Percy out of the cradle, and sat with him on the rocking chair. Even though Sally wasn't much of a singer, she rocked him back and forth, singing "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes." Soon enough, Percy was asleep.

"Good night, baby. If you need anything, you know what to do." She said, wagging her finger at him.

She turned off the lights and left the door halfway open behind her.

I waited a few moments, then walked back in the apartment as quietly as I could. I looked over the cradle one last time and saw Percy sleeping peacefully, his thumb in his mouth. I took one last look at him, and decided I would pay a small visit to his mother.

* * *

Their small apartment was completely dark, but the faint glow of the moonlight from outside enabled me to see. I found Sally on her bed, dead asleep.

I tried not to chuckle. Just a few moments ago, Sally was awake and lively, now the only thing that could wake her up was a fire, and even _that_ was questionable. Sally always was a really heavy sleeper- as soon as her head felt the pillow, she was out like a light.

She looked like an angel sleeping; I wished I could crawl into bed next to her and just hold her. She looked the same as she did when I last saw her, except she looked older somehow. Her skin was as pale as a porcelain doll, her hair was dark and curly, and her eyelashes seemed to go on for miles. Her lips were as pink as they had always been, and I wished more than anything I could have just one look into her crystal blue eyes. But there was no way she could know that I was here, and that thought upset me more than it should have.

I bent down next to her bed, so that I had a good look at her face. I knew immediately she would be the kind of mom that all of Percy's friends would have crushes on. Gently- so gently it could have been a breeze (a _sea breeze_ in my case)- I stroked her curly hair.

"Ah, Miss Sally Jackson," I whispered. "Beautiful as ever."

After a moment, Sally stirred. I froze, hoping I didn't wake her up. Instead, she just rolled over onto her back.

"Smells like Montauk," She muttered incoherently. "Smells like..." She trailed off.

I breathed a sigh of relief. As much as it killed me to walk away from her, I decided I should probably be going. If I stayed one minute longer, I knew I would never be able to leave. I began to quietly exit the room, but I stopped dead in my tracks when I heard Sally, clear as day call out: "Poseidon."

I turned around, but she was still asleep. A part of me wished she had woken up and saw me. A really, _really_ big part.

Sally began to wimper in her sleep. "Poseidon..."

Even though she was sleeping, her voice sounded so clear and agonized, I almost turned around and woke her up. I wanted to hold her and tell her that everything was ok... that I was here, and I adored her.

I took one last look at her, and went out into the fire escape. It was the hardest thing I ever had to do, but I walked away and left my baby boy and the love of my life behind.


End file.
